Dr. Josh Axe, who is a chiropractor, clinical nutritionist, and a doctor of natural medicine, is the founder of Exodus Health Center. You can read more about him and his clinic at www.Dr.Axe.com.
He wrote a highly informative article about Cushing’s disease, which really got my attention because he takes more of a naturalistic, less invasive approach to treating the disease.
His plan includes diet and lifestyle changes along with herbal remedies to help to keep cortisol (which is a hormone produced in the adrenal glands, stimulated by the pituitary gland) levels more stable and even reduce these levels (sometimes significantly) in the body.
Out of every 1,000,000 Americans, approximately 10-15 people are affected annually.
For some strange reason, women seem to bear the brunt of Cushing’s (70%). And although it’s more common in women than men, it typically strikes people between the ages of 25-40.
The disease is tricky to diagnose because sometimes doctors simply advise their patients to lose weight to address concerns about obesity and why they aren’t feeling well.
Cortisol, “schmortisol,” “screwitol!” What difference does it make, right? Wrong.
High levels of cortisol can be very dangerous because they’re usually associated with:
- high blood pressure
- diabetes
- fertility issues
- heart disease
These just aren’t things anyone should dismiss.
Two alternatives Dr. Axe recommends to approach these problems–which I firmly believe in and practice myself–are meditation and massage. In addition to helping to reduce cortisol levels, meditation and massage can provide a wonderful sense of calm and clarity, and can boost endorphin levels to help keep the blues away.
